AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His cousins and Miss Alice walked, laughing, and chatting gaily. His mother was pleased that they got along so well. As for Alice, it boded well that the viscountess’s daughter melded so well with his family.
“Miss Alice is a perfect model of feminine modesty and grace. She is to be admired,” his mother said, smiling at the group ahead.
“She is,” Ethan said noncommittally, his thoughts far away. On one particular wicked distraction—Lady Charity Rutherford. Last night both had been possessed by madness. The shock that had slammed into him this morning when he saw the few drops of blood on the sheets had almost been laughable. He had known her to be innocent, but with her passionate sensuality, it was as if he had forgotten.
He had taken a lady’s virtue without the benefit of marriage, and all he had thought about for the last few hours is the varied ways he could take her again and again. Ethan could say with surety having an enthusiastic and sensual bed partner like Charity would never bore him.
Ethan caught his mother and aunt sharing a conspiratorial glance, and he swallowed an aggrieved sigh, accurately guessing what he might have missed with their discourse. “I am perfectly capable of finding my own countess, madams. Do keep it in mind.”
“Neither of us mentioned marriage,” Aunt Bess said with a sniff. “But now that we are on that topic of discourse, my boy, whatever are you waiting on? I have asked you this question several times since last season, and you’ve designed to ignore me.”
A slight, rueful smile curved his mouth. “I am waiting for someone to thrill me.”
In truth, I believe I have already found her. Ethan froze, assessing that thought which seemed to have come from an unknown part of himself. A part of himself that he was wholly unfamiliar with.
“What is it?” his mother asked, watching him keenly, allowing him to assist her to sit in one of the lawn chairs.
Knowing her stubborn nature and that she was like a dog with a bone whenever she sensed something, Ethan replied, “I merely had the thought I already met someone recently who has thrilled me.”
His mother and Aunt Bess shared a delighted glance.
“And who might that be?” his mother inquired, taking a delicate sip of her tea that a waiting maid prepared.
“Lady Charity.”
Aunt Bess made a choking noise and hurriedly swallowed the piece of cake she was eating.
“Lady Charity?” His aunt demanded.
“Yes,” he said mildly, accepting a glass of icy lemonade.
“Surely you jest. She is not good ton,” his mother said in shocked accents. “Did you see how she played cricket a few days ago? There was absolutely no ladylike comportment in her behavior. It is a wonder her father was an earl.”
She was competitive, a trait that, for some God-unknown reason, charmed Ethan. It was her lack of pretension about it. She played because she enjoyed the game and played to win, yet she did so fairly and per the rules. Lady Charity was simply enthusiastic.
Perhaps his mother was right. She was not good ton, when society was all about pretending to be the perfect lady as if they did not have desires. Charity skipped stones on the lake, ran bare foot, frolicked in the rain. Not at all the perfect decorum displayed by tonnish ladies.
It was right at that moment, Ethan became aware he was not keen on perfection. Miss Alice had always presented a sweet, demure facade whenever they spoke, and Ethan had admired her ladylike qualities. She had never once moved him to think about kissing her senseless or chasing lightning with her like a man demented.
With another jolt, he realized he found perfection to be rather dull and predictable.
“Do not forget that yesterday she provided no explanation as to why she was with you outside at such an hour!”
“On that matter, you should direct all questions to me, madam.”
“Well, would you answer me? As I heard it from your butler, Lady Charity came tearing into the house hollering for help and thoroughly soaked. I cannot conceive of such behavior!”
“Presumably, she saved my life. You should be thanking her.”
His mother huffed. “But whatever was she doing outside in the rain?”
“She remembered her parents. They died during a storm,” he said softly.
That quieted his mother for a brief moment.
“If you ladies will excuse me,” he said with a slight bow.
“Are you off to your study?” his mother asked with a suspicious glint in her eyes.
